Reply #47: Counterpoints:

[Squatch]

Getting further entrenched there is never going to work--as history has shown for hundreds of years.

Deployment of additional kinetic-oriented brigades would provide the necessary "top cover" to allow the Coalition mentors to properly do their job and bring the ANSF forces to a level of proficiency so that they can take care of their own country. If our entire strategy involved deploying soldiers and employing soldiers already over here to kill bad guys, I would agree with you. However, there are tens of thousands of Coalition soldiers trying to educate the ANSF and their job becomes exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, if they're trying to both mentor their Afghan counterparts and kill bad guys. The deployment of these soldiers will allow us to finish our mission over here, which is to return Afghanistan to a point where they can provide for their own internal security.

No invaders have ever survived there for long--and that's what we are to them.

Last week, a VERY old Pashtun man with his family came up to me with tears in his eyes. He couldn't let go of my hands as he stood there, crying in front of other men, expressing his deep gratitude at what the US is doing in his country.

The previous week (and I wrote about this here on DU), a similar instance occured with a well-digger. I'll never forget the look of those shocking blue eyes looking out through mud caked on his face and beard. He so much wanted me to joing him for Chai, just to say "thank you".

No, we are not invaders to the Afghan people, my friend.

Dealing with these ancient cultures takes more than troops with weapons, it takes long and careful consideration and diplomacy.

No, the solution to Afghanistan is the shoring up of their internal security while simultaneously inculcating trust in the Afghan government and taking the warfight away from the people.

This country, in my opinion, really has a good chance of "making it", you know what I mean? Abandonment of the mission right now would mean abandoning the Afghan people, which after meeting the wonderful people who make up this country, would be an absolute tragedy.